Various planned or unplanned events can cause a power grid to lose power. In many situations, a synchronous condenser can be used to help black start the power grid or restore power to it after an outage. Providing power to the condenser, however, can be problematic, particularly when a direct current (DC) inverter is connected to the power grid. The inverter can supply power (watts) but because it can require reactive power (vars), it may be unable by itself to assist with black starting the power grid. For example, the power grid itself cannot be used to power the condenser in an outage situation. Instead, turbines, engines, or other prime movers may be used to power the condenser. Such devices, however, are oftentimes dedicated solely to the purpose of powering the condenser, which can add inefficiency, complexity, and cost to existing electrical power systems.